Saturday, March 20, 2010

The Heights: by Peter Hedges

THE HEIGHTS

SUMMARY

Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherently ordinary. But she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment trying desperately to become the parent she never had. They are seemingly the last middle-class family in the Heights, whose world is turned upside down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn, sending the local society into a tailspin.

Anna is not only beautiful and wealthy; she's also mysterious. And for reasons Kate doesn't quite understand, even as all the Range Rover- driving moms jockey for invitations into Anna's circle, Anna sets her sights on Kate and Tim and brings them into her world.

REVIEW

Having just finished "The Heights", by Peter Hedges, I can tell you, I loved it.

"The Heights" is a well-written fun novel that will certainly be passed friend to friend in the neighborhood. The main characters, Tim and Kate, a young couple with two young sons, are realistic and loveable. The characters that populate their world are quirky and entertaining. They are so well-crafted that every reader will recognize some of her friends in the group.

The story itself is like a ride on the log ride. The story builds and builds, each crank adding anticipation and expectation with a little bit of doubt, and then the story sends you plummeting down the hill with a final exhilarating splash. Invigorating fun that leaves you wanting more.

While "The Heights" may not appeal to those who haven't experienced marriage it is still a phenomenal book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good beach read. And I personally hope Hedges will write a follow up novel so I can revisit my new friends Tim and Kate.


RATING

8 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Dutton Adult

Published: March 4, 2010

Price: $25.95

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